The World Wide Web
25 years ago, in March 1989, Tim Berners-Lee invented the World Wide Web, also known the Internet, and he never knew that it was going to be as big as it is today. We can only think that it will keep on growing and wonder what the World Wide Web will be like in another 25 years time in 2039.
1989
In 1989, we were just reaching the end of another decade and what better way to start a new one with a brand new invention that would quite literally change the world forever. Computers were large machines with bulky boxed shaped monitors. We had computers such as the Amstrad, founded by Lord Alan Sugar. Bill Gates and Paul Allen founded Microsoft, which was soon to become one of the biggest forms of software for computers. Apple were starting out with their Apple computers and in 1989 created the portable Apple Mac. We were watching televisions that were bulky, had small sized screens and only contained four channels. We were using mobile phones that were the size of bricks and these were solely for phoning people as that is all we could do on them. We were watching films through video tapes and listening to music through cassette tapes. If we wanted to contact someone across the world it would have cost a fortune to phone them, or we would have had to send a letter and post it to them and had to wait for a reply, which was a long process.
2014
Within those 25 years, technology has changed dramatically. Today we are in a world where everyday we are wondering what will be new and what will be next. We now have slimline, widescreen, large televisions and computers. There is a whole range of phones that we can choose from, most of them being smart phones which are all touchscreen. A smart phone can be used to phone people, text people and to browse the internet, as well as using it as a daily planner to keep notes and plan work meetings. Modern day films can be watched through DVD’s or Blu-ray’s or even as a digital download or through streaming films through Internet channels such as Netflix and Lovefilm. We also have catch up programmes such as BBC iPlayer and 4OD, where we can catch up with programmes or series that we have missed, gone are the days where we had to set the recorder up to record that programme that we really didn’t want to miss.
Social Media
Social media is currently a huge part of the Internet and popular to many Internet users. Social media is a way of communicating to friends, colleagues, businesses and basically the whole world. News can be spread so fast that it can be heard on a social media site, before the news is aired on television and printed in newspapers. Social media spreads the talk of the day and each day there is something new. Businesses are working hard to keep up to date with this, as everyday is a battle to keep up to date with the latest news and find a way to get involved. During March, in connection with the Oscars, Ellen Degeneres tweeted a selfie that had been taken by Bradley Cooper of a group of famous actors. Within hours this reached over three million retweets, where people have tweeted it to their own followers and friends. This just shows how quickly news can spread and how viral the social networking sites are.
What we can do on the Internet
Children that are being born into the current world will not know any difference to what is used to be like not so many years ago. They are used to watching films and catching up with television shows that are built into the television box and using things such as iPads to play games on.
There is now so much that we can do using the Internet. Many would agree that we would be lost without the World Wide Web. The Internet helps us keep in contact with others, it helps us in the work that we do with emails and sending work to colleagues, it helps students compile research together all in one place and it also lets us shop for the things that we want online through e-shopping. Apps on smartphones also allow us to shop through the Internet and we can now also order restaurant meals and takeaway meals through a smartphone App.
Shopping online is big for those who don’t always have the time to physically go shopping in a town or city. Most of the time there is more variety online than there is on the high street. There will be a greater chance of there being your size online as well. Sometimes people will browse online to get an idea of what they want to buy online, they can try it on in a physical store then buy it at a later date online. Usually there are good online offers so customers are able to get a better deal by purchasing it through the Internet.
The Modern Day World
Just take a moment to look around you and you will see that everyone is involved in some kind of modern technology. Those who are used to using this modern technology each day would find it very hard to have to give it all up and go back to how it used to be nearly 30 years ago. Everyone likes to be able to use a computer and the Internet for work purposes as well as personal use. Those who are into social media can stay connected with friends and followers wherever they are, whether this be at home or away. People like to “share” what they are doing to friends and followers through comments and taking pictures and posting them onto various social media sites. Those who have friends or family abroad can stay connected through social networking sites or can use Apps such as Skype to make a phone call or to message friends and family. This is free and can be used when connected to the World Wide Web.
So what would life be like without the invention of the World Wide Web? It would be so different to today and the world wouldn’t be so connected as it is today. Apps such as Skype and social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, allow us to talk to people all the way across the other side of the world. We take the Internet for granted sometimes, it’s so easy to open up search engines such as Google and search for something that we would like to know. Before we would have had to spend a lot of time researching or would of had to go to a library. We must thank Tim Berners-Lee for an invention that has changed the world for the better and it is because of him that we can do all of the things that we do today. This shouldn’t be taken for granted, it should be very much appreciated.
